Ice Prince
by miji-chan
Summary: UPDATED! Yuki moves away to America after an event which leads him to believe that Tohru is dead. But what happens when he returns to Japan...only to find that she's alive? With his new personality, will he still be in love with her? eventual Yuki X Tohru
1. Chapter 1

**Ice Prince**

Hey y'all! This is one of the new fics im working on, hope you like it!

**Prologue:**

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Yuki stood by her bed, holding her hand, listening to the steady beeping of the machine that was positioned next to him. It hurt him deeply to see her like this, without her warm smile and caring laugh, this wasn't her, she shouldn't ever have to be like this.

He choked back tears as memories of that day came flooding in. Why? Why hadn't he been there to help her? Why had he left her alone with _him_?

He remembered sitting with Haru on the front steps of his cousin's house after sneaking in. They had been talking about him and the student council, when the main house had gone into frenzy. There were groups of people going in and out, with nervous whispering and other loud shouts. And, in the middle of everything, they saw Hatori, in a white lab coat and carrying his medical bag, walking as fast as they had ever seen him walk, go into the main house.

They had sat there, on the steps, running through the worst-case scenarios in their heads and too shocked to go find out what had happened.

Then, they had seen… _her_. She had been laid out unconscious on a stretcher and was being carried by servants, with Hatori following them, looking very worried.

Finally, Shigure had come out of the main house and had stopped to stand on the stone path; he had looked uncharacteristically worried and upset.

They had rushed over to him and began blurting out thousands of questions, anything that came into their heads. But Shigure hadn't said a word, he had just stood there, silently.

Haru had begged him to answer, and finally he had. Shigure had turned towards them, and had told them what had happened, his face a mask.

_She had come to visit Akito, to talk about something, but Akito had been in a very bad mood lately, and when she had supposedly spoken out of turn, he had attacked her, injuring her terribly._

A sudden change in the beeping brought him back to the present. The steady beeping had now changed to a fast, irregular beeping that was much faster then before.

"No, no!" He looked down at her in panic, and squeezed her hand, which he realized was colder then it had been a few minutes before.

"Miss Honda, Miss Honda! Tohru, please!" He called out in desperation. "Tohru, no, don't leave me. Tohru."

He briefly let go of her hand to wipe away the tears that were flowing down his face, away. Then he looked up around the room, what could he do to help? Was there anything? There had to be.

A thought came to him, where were the nurses who were supposed to be watching her? He rushed out into the hall and grabbed the first nurse he saw. "Please, it's Tohru, she," but his throat welled up with tears and he couldn't go on.

The nurse nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll be right back." Then she went away.

He went back into the room and right to her side. Taking her hand again, he whispered, "Its alright Tohru. Just hang in there; everything's going to be okay." But doubt registered in his mind.

"Excuse me sir, but you're going to have to leave." The nurse was back, and she had brought more nurses, and a doctor.

"What? No, I," He protested, but was gently but forcibly led out of the room. The door shut with a final 'click' and he was shut off from her.

Without a word, he walked over to his seat, picked up his bag, and left the hospital, the Sohma's and everything he had, behind.

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Soooo... how did u like it? This is just the prologue, to find out if I should write more or not, so I need reviews to help, or flames, but only as needed.

About Tohru, dont worry, ill give away a secret... shes not dead. Yuki only thinks she does.

Please read and review, and thnx for taking ur time to read this, I appreciate it!

See you next time... maybe!


	2. Chapter 2

Ice Prince

Disclaimer: I do not own fruits basket... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

Hello everyone! Thank you to everyone who reviewed or just read the chapter, I appreciate both! Read on!

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**Chapter 2**

(Three years later…)

Tohru whistled a little as she shook out the towel, folded it and placed it in the basket sitting next to her. It was such a lovely day, the sky was blue, the sun was shining and it was supposed to stay that way all day.

"Tohru! You should come back in, you've been out too long already." She turned to see Hatori standing out on the porch, watching her.

She laughed, finished folding the last towel, placed it in the bucket and walked over to him, resting it against her side. "Hatori, you worry too much."

"No I don't, you just need to learn to be more careful. I told you that you can't stay outside actively for more then two hours." Hatori scolded her as he helped her inside to his office.

"But Hatori, it's-" Tohru began to argue.

He walked up to her and put a hand on her head. "No arguing Tohru, we don't want to almost loose you again."

Tohru smiled sadly as Hatori took his hand away, walked over to his chair and sat down to start working on his papers.

It had been three years since that day, and since then everyone had been treating her with extra care. She wasn't allowed to do anything drastic, or that would drain her energy. Hatori had been the one keeping the closest eye on her, and when she was let out of the hospital, he had offered for her to stay with him in his house. She had quickly agreed, since there was really no reason to go back to stay with Shigure and Kyo, and there was only the two of them living there, ever since Yuki had left.

Tohru sighed, Yuki. No one had seen him ever since her near-death experience. No letters, phone calls, or cards had come from him, and almost everyone had given him up for dead, everyone, except for her. She still believed in her heart that he was alive and that he was just hiding somewhere, away from his family.

When she had moved in with Hatori, Shigure and Kyo had also decided to move back into the main house. Shigure had moved in with Aya (scary thought!) and Kyo had moved in with Kazuma and had also begun practicing at the dojo again.

But all this time, no one had mentioned Yuki, and even though Akito had thrown a tantrum when he learned that Yuki had left, even the head barely mentioned him. The years had still gone on, and although his spot was empty at the banquet, everything felt the same as it had been before.

"Tohru? Tohru are you okay?" Momiji's voice came from beside her and she jumped at the sound of it.

"Oh, Momiji! What are you doing here?" She asked, still shaking.

"If you two are going to talk, then please go outside so I can work." Hatori told them, not turning around from his desk and work.

Momiji rolled his eyes, but took Tohru's hand anyways and led her outside the house. "So, how have you been Tohru? Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, don't worry Momiji, I'm fine. Perfectly fine!" She reassured him, a little too quickly.

"So Momiji, what are you doing over here?" Tohru asked smiling again.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! Your friends Hanajima and Uotani are at the gate, they came to visit you." Momiji told her happily, pointing vaguely in the direction of the gate.

"Really? Here?" Tohru exclaimed happily, and ran off towards the gate.

As she made her way there, everyone who was walking by quickly got out of her way, or stared as she went past. She was the terror of the sidewalk!

Tohru finally arrived at the gate, gasping and panting, exhausted. She slid open the door to see Hana and Uo standing there behind it. "Uo! Hana! Hello!"

"Hello Tohru." Hana said, nodding her head.

"Hey there!" Uo greeted, waving.

"Come in, come in. Please!" Tohru slid the door open a little bit more and waved them inside. "I'm glad to see you! It's been a while!"

"Yes, it has." Hana agreed with her, looking around.

"Sheesh, every time I come here it looks bigger." Uo commented, turning in circles.

Tohru laughed. "Yes, it is quite large isn't it?" She grabbed Uo's hand and led her down the sidewalk. "Come with me! Hatori's working right now, but we can go somewhere else until he's done."

"Alright. Where should we go then?" Uo asked, fine with walking around.

"Um, well. Momiji's around here somewhere, and there's a nice garden that we go to sometimes. I think you'd like it." Tohru told them, looking around.

"Hey there!" Momiji appeared from ahead of them, and walked over. "Whatcha doing here?"

"We came to visit Tohru." Hana told him.

"Oh. That's nice of you." He smiled, and leaned back nonchalantly.

"I was thinking we could show them the garden. You know the one we go to together sometimes."

"Oh yeah. Come on, I'll show you." Momiji laughed and began running down the sidewalk, waving them to follow him.

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See? Told ya Tohru didn't die. I wouldn't do that to you.

Sry that this took so long, and that it kinda short, but there will be more coming soon. Right after I figure out what I wanna do with this fic! (jk) But I do promise next one'll be better!

Also, please read my other fics as well, and review too if u want, I would love u forever if u did, and i dont mean like Kagura, that would kinda be scary.

One more thing, do people actually read these author notes things? i was just wondering cause sometimes I do sometimes I don't but just wondering.

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Anyways, thanks again to everyone who reviewed, five reviews for my first chapter is awesome! Actually.. I did a few victory laps around my house, and ate the rest of my cookie dough ice cream.

Tuki: yeah, but isnt this so much more romantic? (dabs eyes (jk)) and... told ya so!

Black-Meteora: yay! thnx so much! and see, i did! I like them too, thats y im writing one, what d'ya know?

missprongs07: thank you for saying u like it... im glad. and i promise (strikes dramatic pose (jk))

catgirlversion3.0otakufan: wow, that was a typeful, oops thats not a word, oh well. Im glad u think it sounds good, and please tell me if it starts not too!

aya-heart-tooya: please don't cry! but thnx for the compliments and i will do my duty as a fanfic writer!

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Thanks everyone! Tune in next time and please read and review then as well!

- miji-chan


	3. Chapter 3

Ice Prince

Chapter 2

Howdy there! Glad that you came to join me. Please read, and review. Oh, and as for the 's in the chapter, I'll tell you about them at the end, but until then, please enjoy and ignore the #'s

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Uo watched Momiji bound up along the road ahead of them and once in a while stop to wait, "Cute kid." 

"Yes, he's very nice, and cute. Momiji's a very good friend." Tohru smiled and waved back to Momiji.

"Is he a better friend then us?" Hana asked, turning seriously towards Tohru.

Tohru laughed and hugged her friends. "Of course not! No one's better then you two!"

"Course. Hey, are you feeling okay?" Uo peered closely at the surprised Tohru.

"Of, of course! Don't worry, I'm fine, everyone's been taking very good care of me."

"Good." Up said and rubbed Tohru on top of her head.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" A rough voice asked. They turned to see Kyo, still in his fighting outfit# standing on the other side of the hedge.

"Kyo?" Uo asked, too startled to call him by the nickname she had made up for him. "What are you doing here?"

Kyo looked at her like she was stupid. "I live here, what do you think?"

Uo decided not to answer and instead asked another question. "Why are you so sweaty?"

"I just got done with a leasson at the dojo. Master made me go through a prettty tough routine today." Kyo told her, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.

"Dojo?" Hana parroted.

"You mean, you take martial arts lessons? That's so cool!" Uo burst out.

"Yeah, Master's been teaching me since I was little." He beamed. "He says I'm pretty good too."

"Hey, why aren't you guys coming?" Momiji popped up beside Tohru, then noticed Kyo. "Ah Kyo! Your so sweaty!"

"Stupid brat." Kyo muttered.

"Oh Kyo, that's not very nice." Tohru scolded him, but not really.

Kyo rolled his eyes but gave in anyways. "Fine. Maybe he isn't so bad."

"Yay, Kyo's being nice to me!" Momiji exclaimed happily, which earned him a look from Kyo.

"I thought you were going to go to college." Hana said, stopping Kyo from picking on Momiji any more.

He scratched his head. "Yeah, I was going to, but then Master offered me a place at his house, and to start teaching me again. He says I could even inherit the dojo from him someday#."

"Oh, thats like me. I decided to keep my jobs instead of going to college. Its easier." Uo added.

"I'm still working on my transcripts#, but I hope to get into a college close to here. I don't want to get too far." Momiji declared, waving a fist.

"Thats sweet." Hana commented, smiling slightly at him.

"Mm hmm." Momiji smiled back up at her.

"Do you think Hari's# done yet?" I could make some tea and snacks for us." Tohru bit her nail, a habit she'd picked up.

"Oh I'm sure he has. He probably won't mind anyways." Momiji told her and ran off in that direction.

"Do you want to join us Kyo?" Tohru asked, turning. He smiled, but waved a hand. "Thanks, but no. I need to go take a shower. I feel filthy."

"Well, alright. See you later." She agreed. "Yep. It was nice seeing you again." Kyo told Uo and Hana and then walked off back to Kazuma's house.

"He's gotten nicer." Hana commented, watching him go.

"Oh, really? Im not sure." Tohru began, unsure.

"Yeah he has." Uo turned to Tohru. "So are we going to Hatori's house or not?"

"Oh, yes of course." Tohru stuttered and began leading them to Hatori's house.

"Tohru, Im going to go visit Momo, Ill see you later." Momiji told her and ran off. "Who's Momo?" Uo asked as they continued walking.

"His little sister, she's ten years younger then him#." She sounded excited. "She's actually very cute and adorable." There was a pause. "Ah, here we are." She led them up the stairs, through the door and into Hatori's (and her's) house.

Tohru walked down the hall and knocked softly at his office door. "Hari?" She said, opened the door and quietly went inside. Uo and Hana followed her.

Hatori looked up from his work as they came in. "Tohru?"

"Oh, umm, well I just want to tell you that Uo and Hana are here. And we're going to have some tea and snacks in the living room." Tohru explained.

Hari smiled softly. "Alright, have fun. I'm almost finished."

"Okay. See you later!" Tohru told him and walked back out, with Uo and Hana still following her. She shut the door and walked a little farther down the hall before saying, "I worry about Hari, he works so hard."

"What does he do?" Hana asked interestedly.

"He's the family doctor, but with how big the Sohma family is, Hari's constantly working." Tohru's voice dropped a little. "Although its mostly taking care of Akito."

"Who's Akito?" Uo asked as she sat down at the table.

Tohru looked self-concious. "Well, he's the head of the family, but he's constantly sick and recently its gotten much worse#. So Hari has to be on constant call. Some nights he doesn't get very much sleep."

"Huh." Uo commented. Then she smacked her head, "Oh yeah, I totally forgot to tell you." She leaned in closer to Tohru, almost secretively.

_"Me n' Hana think we saw Yuki on our way over here."_

There was a sudden silence in the room, as if time had stopped. Tohru felt her heart beat faster and she broke out in a sweat. her mouth opened and closed but she didn't seem to be able to speak.

"Are you sure?" They looked up to see Hatori standing in the doorway, wearing his usual indifferent expression#, but Tohru could tell he was very suprised and interested.

Uo was the one to answer. "Not totally, but pretty sure, yeah. His hair is still silver-grey, although its shoulder length now, and he was wearing jeans and a jacket. I don't think he saw us though."

Hatori took a moment to process this information before asking, "Where did you see him?"

"Well, we noticed him on Kings street and then followed him until he turned onto Andrews Ave#." Uo told Hatori who muttered something under his breath and then quickly walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

They stared after him, until Hana said, "He was upset."

"Well yeah, Yuki's only been gone for three years." Uo said smart-aleckedly.

"Most of the Sohma's had given Yuki up for dead." Tohru told them, "but now that he's back, who knows what will happen now."

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Da da da dummmmmmmm! So, did u like it? If so, please review. If not, same thing. And if you noticed that the charecters still act the way they do in the manga/anime now, im sry but i have a hard time thinking of how they would be when they were older, so sry if that upsets u, vry sry. 

As for the 's that you have noticed throughout the chapter, those are comments which I wanted to say, but didnt want to interupt the chapter. So here they are:

#1 Okay, im sry but idk what to call it! so sue me, im sry

#2 I know that he shouldnt be able to inherit since hes the cat and he'll be secluded after he finishes high school, but im changing it, more later

#3 Im guessing that after three years Miji and Haru would be trying to get into colleges, if ur wondering

# 4 Yeah, i know, shes using his nickname. I decided if shes living with him and for three years so far, that she should use his nickname

#5 Im totally guessing about this, i dont know the year difference. And im taking Momo from the manga. And i know he's not supposed to be around her, but i feel bad for Miji, so he is

#6 About Akito, I was debating wether to kill him off or to say he was dead already, but then I realized it was only three years and he should probably die closer to 30, so i didnt. but he might 'suddenly' die around the end of this fic

#7 Yeah, i know im picking on Hari, but this is the only way i can describe it. but im not being mean, really! i actually really like Hari, so please dont be angry

#8 I don't know what the Japanese street names are, so i made them up and 'englishsized' them

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To my wonderful reviewers: 

aya-heart-tooya: im glad u didnt cry, i spared u! im glad u like it, and although that might be awhile... i promise to keep updating

catgirl: im shortening it a little, but its true. im glad u liked the chap. just to warn u the fluff might be awhile yet.

animedreamer: im glad u enjoyed it, and thnx for putting it on ur alerts list, that makes me very proud. as for Yuki, youll just have to wait to find out!

firegoddess: im glad u like it, and yea its a YukixTohru fic, didnt i say that? oh well

Tuki: well im glad to hear that, i was just making sure. and yep, T-chans back! and yes, Hari told her not to, but she did anyways, oh well...

Well, I thnk thats all of u, sry if i missed anyone

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One more thing, this is as far as ive written in this fic, so it might be a while before I update again. But in the meantime, please reread this and my other fics. Thats all for now... Sayonara! 

-miji-chan


	4. Chapter 4

Ice Prince

Ch 4

Hello again everyone! Sry it took so long to update but I finally did! Oh, and thnx for all the reviews!

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Hatori immediately went to the phone in his study and dialed Ayame and Shigure's house phone number. Luckily Shigure picked up on the fourth ring and shouted, "Hello? I'm sorry, hold one a second." Then his voice came again, but distant as he yelled, "Aya darling I can't hear the phone!" The noise stopped a few seconds later and Shigure spoke into the phone again, more audible this time. "Sorry about that."

"Shigure." Hatori began saying but was broken off when Shigurebegan babbling.

"Hari! I haven't heard from you in ages! How are you, and my little flower?" Then he called over his shoulder, "Aya! Its Hari!"

There were loud footsteps and then Aya began shouting right into the phone, "Hari! Where have you been hiding? How are you? Why haven't you called in so long?"

"Aya," Hatori rubbed his forehead and put the phone back to his ear, he had forgotten hot loud his cousins could be, "I need to come over and talk to you, its very important."

"Alright, when are you coming?" It seemed like Shigure had been able to get the phone away from Aya.

"Half an hour. I need to talk to Akito first." Hatori rubbed his head. "Then I'll be over."

"Be careful." Shigure warned, being serious for once.

"I will." Hatori said and hung up.

Then he walked to the door, grabbed his coat and walked out of his house, across the Sohma estate and into the main house.

A maid came up to him as he stepped inside. "Hatori-san?"

He looked over at her. "I need to see Akito-sama. Is he available?"

"Yes, of course Hatori-san. Please follow me." The maid bowed and walked quickly down the hall with Hatori following. They stopped in front of a sliding door and the maid opened the door a little and stuck her head in. "Akito-sama, Hatori-san is here to see you."

A cold voice came from inside the room. "Let him in." The maid stood back as Hatori walked inside and then closed the door behind him.

"Welcome Hatori, you haven't come to visit me in a while. How have you been with keeping your other responsibilites." Akito asked from his lounging position by the pourch door.

"I'm sorry Akito, I didn't mean to leave you. But," he continued catiously, "you sound like your feeling better."

"That doesn't give you a reason to leave me for so long!" Akito yelled, standing up and glaring at Hatori.

Hatori winced, he should have known to be more careful. Recently Akito had become more and more unpredictable, with his mind and temper. And he had complained to feel like everyone was deserting him. There was now a rule in the main house not to let anything sharp, or breakable, near Akito. And everyone was additionally wary of him.

"I'm very sorry Akito, it was a mistake onmy part. But, I have good news for you." Hatori ducked his head, looking at Akito through his bangs.

"And what news would that be?" Akito snarled at him.

"Tohru's friends, Miss Uotani and Miss Hanajima say they saw Yuki walking through the street earlier today." He glanced up at Akito to find his God looking at him, for once, speechless.

Akito swallowed. "Are you sure? Are they sure?"

"Yes." Hatori risked raising his head, and then when there was no reaction, he slowly stood up. "I was going to take Shigure and Ayame to investigate after I tell them."

"You haven't told them yet?" Akito seemed to have gotten over his initial suprise and was now thinking.

"No Akito, your the first. Only Tohru knows."

Akito nodded. "Very well. You can go, but don't forget to look for Yuki and report back to me."

Hatori bowed and walked out of the door, then out of the house towars Ayame's, and now Shigure's, house to tell them the wonderful news.

* * *

Hatori found himself in front of Aya house across the estate from his, and noticed by the door and next to the decorative sign next to the door that was marked with a snake, was a sign that had been newly nailed next to it, with a picture of a dog painted on it. He smiled slightly at the sight, it seemed like Aya had done everything he could to make Shigure feel at home.

The dragon raised his hand to knock on the door, but before he could it was slammed open and he found himself being hugged by a very enthusiastic dog. Aya wasn't close behind and was next to hig Hatori. Hugs were mixed with cries of "Hari! Hari!"and continuous talking from the duo.

"You two act like you haven't seen me in years." He mutteres, disentangeling himself from his cousins arms.

"So, why are you here Hari?" Aya asked glowing.

"Yes, what isthe important news you wanted to tell us?" Shigure asked, hanging onto his friend.

"Can we sit down first?" Hatori asked, looking around. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was.

"Of course, of course." Ayame agreed, waving them into the living room.

After Shigure and Ayame had gotten settled on the couch and Hatori in a chair, he broke the news to his cousins. "This is going to be very startling to you, but please don't give me a headache by overreacting." he looked up to see his cousins staring intently at him.

"Alright." Hatori made sure to speak slowly. "Tohru's friends Miss Hanajima and Miss Uotani just came over to visit Tohru, and I overheard them saying," he paused slightly and braced himself, "that on their way over here, they saw Yuki walking nearby."

When there was no response but silence he opened his eyes and glanced over at them. The two were sitting next to each other on the couch, staring at him, their eyes wide open in shock and mouths hanging open. Afer there was still no response a few minutes later Hatori stood up, walked over to them, kenlt down in front of the couch, and snapped his fingers in front of their eyes.

"Are you sure?" Shigure asked, shocked, as he put an arm around Aya's shoulders.

"they said they were very sure." Hatori answered, then glanced over at Aya. "Ayame? Are you all right?"

Ayame blinked. "Y-yes. I just can't believe it." His voice waschoked and his eyes full of tears. "This is wonderful."

"I agree." Shigure nodded. "Should we go search for him?"

Aya looked up hopefully. "Can we? Are we allowed to?"

Hatori shrugged. "Akito gave his permission. So, if you want to get your coats, we can go."

Shigure looked at him anxiously as he helped Aya stand up. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Hatori shook his head. "No, I'm fine. If your ready lets go." He followed Aya and Shigure out of room, waited as they put on their coats and locked the door after them as they walked across and out of the Sohma estate to start their search for Yuki.

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Happy Birthday everyone! Jk! Anyway your very welcome, and thank you in turn for your reviews. And about the spelling errors, if there are some, Im sorry but Im sick and drugged because im sick, so I can't spell or type very well. Sorry again. 

Lets see, hmm. Thats all I can think of, except for please read my other stories as well, ive updated all of them, and started two new stories, so please check them out. And please review... everything.

Thanks for reading and please review!

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To my reviewers: 

xDeadAngelx:Thank you, im glad you like it. And I promise to update more often from now on.

Tuki: Alright! Im glad you thought so. And I tried to make Kyo like that, I like him better this way. And as for Momo, shes soooooo cute! I wish she could learn about Momiji. Sigh.

catgirl: Im sorry! But thatll be a few chaps yet :( Meanwhile, please continue reading!

midnight: Mm hmm. Oh, but for that youll have to wait.

aya-heart: Im so glad! Sry for making you wait so long! Thnx again!

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Thanks for reading and please review! See you later!

- miji-chan


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

Ice Prince

Hello everyone! This is the latest chapter in the continuing drama of 'Ice Prince.' JK. Sry it took me so long, but we have a snow day today I LOVE MINNESOTA! So im updating. Lucky you. Also, beware of spoilers and author notes, they're deadly.

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Tohru set the tray of snack and drinks down on the table in front of Up and Hana then sat down again. "I'm sorry but this is all I could find. Hari doesn't go out shopping very often and I haven't had a chance to go yet."

Uo patted her on the back and picked up a few chips and a rice ball. "That's alright. This is wonderful."

"Yes, its wonderful Tohru." Hana agreed, taking a sip of her water.

"Will you tell me exactly what happened when you saw Yuki today?" Tohru asked, "Please?"

Uo looked at Hana uncomfortably. "Well actually we didn't tell you the whole truth."

Tohru looked puzzled, stared between the two. "What? What do you mean?"

Hana was the one to answer her. "We did more then see Yuki, we actually talked to him."

Tohru stared at them, "You did?"

"Yeah." Uo leaned back against the wall, "not for very long, but we did."

_Uo and Hana walked down the crowded main street on their way to the Sohma estate. Hana was talking about the college she was hoping to get into and what it would mean for her family, while Uo talked about the mystery man she had met that one time at the store and had never given up hope on. (A/N: Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!)_

_While they were talking Hana was the first to point out a somewhat familiar figure walking ahead of them. "Uo, doesn't that person ahead of us look familiar to you?"_

_Uo rose onto her tiptoes in order to see easier over the people in front of them, even though she was taller then most other people. "Yeah, I think so. Actually he looks a lot like Yuki, except that his hair is longer then it was before, but it could be him."_

_By this time they were closer to the man who might be Yuki so that they could see him more clearly._

"_Yes, it is him, his waves are a little different but they are still Yuki's." Hana commented, nodding positively._

_Uo grinned, "Alright! Lets go say hi to him!" She grabbed Hana's hand and pulled her forward so they were right behind the man they had now classified as Yuki._

_They walked silently behind him for a few more minutes until Uo couldn't handle the excitement so she let go of Hana's hand and grabbed Yuki by the arm._

"_Hey Yuki, its been awhile!" She said loudly, causing Yuki to stop abruptly and quickly turn around to face them._

_Yuki indeed did look the same, except his skin was paler, his hair longer and his ears wre pierced. (Sigh) He finally got his breath back enough to say surprised, "Miss Uotani, Miss Hanajima."_

_Uo laughed, "Yeah, who else did you think it was? So, how have you been, where have you been?"_

"_Good thank you." Yuki answered simply and politely, not quite looking either of them in the eye._

"_And where have you been?" Hana repeated Uo's other question that Yuki hadn't answered._

"_America." He answered simply, shrugging._

_Uo was very surprised, "America? Why there?" She gapped open mouthed at him._

_Yuki shrugged again. "College."_

"_What are you studying in college?" Hana asked, tapping Uo on the shoulder to close her mouth._

"_To be a lwayer." Yuki answered, the most he had said in their conversation so far._

"_Really? You want to be a lawyer?" Uo asked, even more surprised._

"_Yes." Yuki finally managed to look at them._

"_I never knew that." Yuki shrugged causing Uo to go on her tiptoes again to peer closely at him. "Your quieter then usual, are you scared of us/"_

"_No."_

"_Are you scared of Tohru?" She noticed interestedly that something flickered in his eyes when she said Tohru's name._

"_No." Yuki answered cautiously. Uo grabbed his arms and pulled him closer to her, glaring angrily at him._

"_Then why haven't you seen her in three years?"_

"_Because I've been in America for three years!" Yuki snapped at her and then ran his hand through his hair looking as if he might cry. "Besides, Miss Honda is dead." With that he jerked his arms away from Uo's grip, turned sharply and began walking away from them as fast as he could._

_Uo and Hana looked at each other then turned and walked quickly towards the Sohma _

_estate._

"Why did he think you were dead Tohru?" Hana asked her friend as Up finished summarizing their conversation with Yuki.

Tohru looked upset and glanced away, "Um, well do you remember three years ago when I was suddenly put in the hospital?" When he friends nodded she continued quietly, "Well a few weeks later there was a complication and I almost, didn't make it. Yuki was there that day, he was always there to stay by me, and when it happened I guess the nurses and doctors kicked him out of my room. So naturally he suspected the worst, and he left the hospital, and Japan."

"That's so sad!" Uo exclaimed, shaking her head and pretended to wipe her eyes.

"Yes, that is very sad." Hana agreed.

"Mm hmm. So that's why, and during the past three years he didn't contact me or any of the Sohma's, so most of the family gave him up for dead."

"Darn him! Why didn't he?" Uo asked, slamming her fist into the palm of her other hand.

Tohru shrugged. "Too many memories maybe, or even maybe he just couldn't bring himself to."

"Right." Uo commented, rolling her eyes.

_(A/N: get ready for some fluffy goodness! If you don't like fluff, sry)_

They jumped as they heard the front door open and close, then soon after footsteps in the hall. Then Uo heard the voice she had never expected to hear again.

"Hatori nii-san?"

Uo rushed to the door and opened it slightly so she could stick her head out. And there he was, walking down the hall towards her, looking inside the rooms as he passed them. She slowly slid open the door and stood up as he came closer and could see her.

Finally his eyes rested on her and he looked slightly surprised. "Arisa? What are you doing here?"

Uo saw Tohru stand up and come and stand by her side out of the corner of her eye as Kureno and herself stood in place, glued there by shock.

"Ah, Kureno-san! How have you been?" Tohru chirped happily.

Uo turned to look at her friend. "You knew he was a Sohma?" Then she scrunched up her face in confusion. "Wait, you're a Sohma?"

"I've been fine, thank you Tohru-kun. And yes Arisa, my last name is Sohma." Kureno clarified, bowing slightly to Tohru.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Uo demanded angrily. Kureno shrugged and smiled at her, "I didn't tell you because I didn't think I would ever see you again."

"Tch." Uo responded and turned away.

"Why are you here Kureno-san?" Tohru asked, looking worriedly at Uo.

"Please Tohru-kun, there's no need to call me san." He raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck. (What is with Sohma men and doing that?) "I was looking for Hatori nii-san, Akito-sama's getting upset."

"Oh, Hari's not here. He went out with Shigure and Ayame to look for Yuki. But he should be back soon." Tohru told the rooster, then squeaked as Hana came up behind her.

"You are Arisa's mystery boyfriend then?" She asked unemotionally, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I suppose so." Kureno agreed, looking troubled.

"How old are you?" Hana leaned forward inquisitively.

"29." Kureno answered, then his cell phone rang from inside his pocket. "Please excuse me." He took the phone out of his pocket, flipped it open and answered, "Hello?"

An angry, very loud voice burst out of the phone so that Kureno had to hold it away from his ear. "KURENO WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU? WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?"

Kureno put the phone back to his ear and answered politely as ever, "Hello Akito-sama, I'm at Hatori's house to look for him like you asked."

"Akito-sama is Akito the family head?" Uo asked Tohru in a whisper as they listened to Kureno talk. "Mm hmm." She agreed.

"Well did you find him then?" Akito snapped angrily.

"No Akito-sama. Tohru told me that he went out to look for Yuki with Ayame and Shigure."

There was a sigh from the other end of the line. "Fine, just come back and stay with me." Then Akito hung up the phone.

Kureno closed his phone and put it back in his pocket. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to Akito-sama." He bowed slightly to them, turned, and began to walk back towards the front door.

"Wait!" Uo called and ran after him to cling onto his arm. He stopped and turned to look at her, "Yes?"

Meanwhile Tohru worried about what would happen if Uo triggered the curse, she didn't know that his curse had been lifted (A/N: oops, sorry if you didn't know that, its in the 17th volume, second chapter, _I think_), as her friend clung to the rooster.

"So you really have to go?" Uo pleaded. Kureno looked down at her confusedly. "Yes, Akito-sama need me."

"But-" Uo began to protest, until Kureno leaned down to kiss her. Afterwards he smiled and said, "I'm sorry Arise, but my family obligations come first." Then he handed her a folded piece of paper. "This is my personal cell phone number. Goodbye."

Uo watched sadly as he let go of her hand, walked down the hall and left by the front door.

* * *

Okay, I know the UoxKureno fluff wasn't really needed, but I love the idea of them getting together, especially since he's not cursed anymore, itd be sooooooo cute! And it seemed the perfect place to add it in. Probably there will be more towards the end of the fic, and maybe Hana will fall in love with a Sohma as well. Tee hee! 

So, please review and tell me if you liked it. I have the next chapter written out so I hope to upload it soon, not as long of a wait this time. Please read and review my other fics as well, I'm hoping to get them updated soon as well.

Also, I have joined the website so please read my fic there. I have also added more fics to my favorites, so please check those out as well. Thanks!

* * *

To my reviewers: ARIGATOU!

Tuki: of course he did, he's not _that_ mean. well, idk. Yes, they probably would have snuck out and looked for him anyways, you know how Aya is. Anyway, yes they find Yuki in the next chapter. I promise to update more often from now on. And thanks for the offer.

catgirl: I promise there will be... soon.

aya-heart: I'm sorry. I didn't really think of that. but they find him next chapter, so hold on. I'm glad you like it and think its good, I promise to update soon and I like your fics as well!

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That's all for now! See you later... 

miji-chan


	6. Chapter 6

Ice Prince

Ch 6

Hey everyone! I'm baa-accck! Its Spring Break so I'm trying to update/write as much as I can. Read on!

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Hatori walked down the main street with Ayame and Shigure, once in a while thwacking his cousins to stop their squabbling and anyone who was staring at the trio. "Instead of talking why don't you two see if you can find Yuki?" He asked. "Shigure your always boasting about your excellent eyesight, use it."

For once, without protesting, Shigure did as he was told and began looking throught he crowd. Aya followed suit and also began looking. Surprised at how obedient his cousins were being Hatori began looking through the crowd as well. But after five minutes not one of them ad seen Yuki.

"Where could he be? I don't see him."

"Me neither. Isn't this where Tohru's friends said they saw Yuki, Hari?"

"Yes. They said he was on Main and King, which is where we are, but I don't-" Hari stopped then said quietly, "Shigure?"

While they were talking Shigure had stopped walking and was peering intently at something, or someone, in front of them. He was poised stiffly and still, if he had dog ears they would have been perked up and alert.

"Gure?" Aya asked, hanging onto his friends arm. Shigure started and looked over at Ayame. "He's up there, ahead of us." He answered in a distant tone.

Ayame let go of his cousin and jumped up and down happily. "Really? He's here? He's actually here?"

"Mm hmm." Shigure glanced back at his cousins. "I'm going to go talk to him. Stay here until I come back." Then he vanished into the crowd hurrying forward.

"Do you think he can bring Yuki back?" Ayame asked Hari. His cousin turned to look at him. "I sure hope so."

Shigure quickly walked through the crowds until he was walking right behind Yuki and then slowed down to match the younger boys pace.

He followed Yuki silently for a few moments until he began to worry about loosing sight of Hari and Aya. Shigure leaned forward and spoke in Yuki's ear. "It's good to see you Yuki-kun."

The younger boy stopped abruptly and turned to face him. "Shigure?"

The said dog smiled and laughed, "Yep!" There was a pause as Shigure draped an arm around Yuki's shoulders. "So, how have you been Yun-Yun?"

Yuki glared at him. "Get off of me you mutt." And quickly removed Shigure's arm.

"Oh Yuki, I'm hurt!" Shigure teased, putting a hand over his heart. "But really, where have you been?"

The rat glared and rolled his eyes, "If you really need to know, I've been in America- for college."

Shigure opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted when Yuki was nearly tackled by, guess who, Ayame.

"Yuki, my darling brother, where have you been? I've missed you so much!" When Yuki had dodged his tackle Aya had wrapped Yuki in a tight hug, nearly choking him.

"Get off of me!" Yuki snapped, struggling wildly. "Ahh, you don't appreciate my love Yuki!" Ayame whined, tightening his embrace.

"No I don't! And I would appreciate it, if you would let me go." Yuki told his brother coldly.

"But Yuki, Aya really likes you." Shigure protested, pointing at Aya who was now twirling and angry Yuki around on the spot.

"Aya put Yuki down before he gets sick." Hatori scolded Ayame, thwacking his cousin on then head and nearly hitting Yuki in the process.

After his brother had put him down and he had straightened his clothes, Yuki turned to glare at the trio. "What are you three, the welcoming committee?"

"No, Hari was the one who overheard Uo and Hana saying that they had seen you." Shigure informed Yuki, pointing at Hatori.

"Actually, I talked to them as well." Yuki told them, with a blank face.

"They didn't mention that." Hari said thoughtfully. "Or I didn't hear them tell her that."

Yuki's eyes narrowed. "And who might 'her' be?"

The trio looked at each other, debating who should be the one to tell him. Did they want to hurt her again?

Ayame was the one who finally answered, "Why we mean Tohru of course."

Yuki's eyes flashed and he backed away from them. "That's impossible."

Shigure, who had been interested by Yuki's response, asked innocently, "And why is that Yuki?"

His younger cousin turn to give the trio a death glare, "Because Miss Honda is dead." Then in the silence that followed, he turned sharply and walked away. The trio, after getting over their initial shock stared wide mouthed at their cousins back and then turned to each other.

"Did he say dead?" Shigure asked unbelievably. Hatori nodded, "Yes, he did."

Aya said slowly, "But she's not, dead." Hatori ran his hand through his hair and said, "I think we should go back. We found him like we said we would."

"But did Akito say if he wanted us to bring Yuki back?" Shigure asked as the trio turned and began to walk back to the main house.

"No he didn't." Hatori answered, following Shigure and Ayame down the street.

* * *

So, how was it? Like it... then review! PLEASE! Thanks for reading anyways. I'm sorry to tell you but I might not update this fic for a while because this is is the rest of what I've written, and I'm experiencing writers block, so it might take me a while to get my groove back. JK.

To My Reviewers:

Tuki: Mm hmm! Sry if it took them awhile. But more people will find him soon, and their reactions... vary. Really? Yuki with pierced ears... mmm. Maybe. Anyway your welcome.

echo: OKAY OKAY OKAY! (JK)

Eda: I will, no matter what I pledge to keep writing. And umm thats not what I meant, we only have up to vol 12 here (US). I just found a website where you can read it online.

sakura: Im glad you think its sweet, thats what I hoped people to say. And promise to update asap.

aya: please dont go insane because of me! Please no! But im glad you think its good. Im mean? I'M SO SORRY! See, I updated please be happy, please? Your just boosting my ego, thank u very much. JK. And yes, I read your fics, and YES they are good, I don't think anyone likes what they write, or not that I know of. Your welcome, and thank you!

catgirl: I will, I promise!

* * *

Thats all for now! Thanks for reading, please review! And ill try to update as soon as I can! Thanks again!

-miji-chan


	7. Chapter 7

Ice Prince

Ch 7

Yes, I know I finally updated. Im really sorry it took so long! But please read and review, I promise to update the next chapter more quickly!

* * *

Hari, Ayame and Shigure opened the door to Hari's house and walked in, feet sore and worried about Yuki's odd behavior. They found Tohru, Uo and Hana cooking dinner in the kitchen, chatting away. 

"Oh Hari, Shigure and Ayame, we were starting to get worried about you. Welcome home!" Tohru exclaimed, turning around and wiping her hands on her apron.

Curiously Hatori draped his coat over the back of a chair and walked over next to Tohru. "What are you making Tohru?"

She smiled. "Oh, just a little something I found in a cookbook and decided to try out."

Hari stared at her. "Since when do I have food to cook with? And a _cookbook_?" This caused Aya and Shigure to snicker and giggle, "Quiet you two." Which made them stop right away.

"I found the cookbook on one of your bookshelves and the food was in the cupboards." Tohru exclaimed, pointing.

Meanwhile Uo had walked over to Aya and was studying him curiously. "So your Yuki's older brother?" Aya bit his lip and nodded solemnly. Shigure noticed his cousins odd behavior, took Aya by the arm and gently led him away.

"You had a visitor while you were gone." Hana told Hatori as she helped Tohru with dinner.

Hatori looked over at her, "Who was it? Not Akito-sama."

Tohru shook her head. "No, it was Kureno-san." This caused Uo to start pounding the table with her fists and cry. "Darn him!" She yelled.

"What did Kureno want?" Hatori asked while he was looking in the fridge, and carefully watching Uo.

"Kureno said Akito-san wanted you because I was upset again." Tohru told him, spooning the food onto plates.

"Oh dear." Hatori rubbed his forehead then walked over behind Up and grabbed her wrists to stop her from pounding the table. "Please refrain from harming yourself while inside my home Miss Uotani."

Uo growled, turned and stalked out of the room. "I give up!" She announced.

"Whats the matter with Uotani?" Shigure asked from where he was flattened against the doorway.

"I'm going to see Akito-sama. I'll try to be back soon." Hatori told them, picking up his coat and walking away.

Tohru turned to look over at Shigure. "Is Ayame feeling better?"

Shigure smiled at her. "Yes he is Tohru, and that smells wonderful." He glanced over his shoulder, "Is Uotani alright?"

"I'm not sure. I think she got upset about seeing Kureno-san." Tohru told him, handing out plates piled with food.

The dog frowned. "Oh. And how does Uotani know Kureno?"

"As I understand it they met one night when Arise was working a late shift. They fell in love at first sight and afterwards kept running into each other a few more times." Hana told Shigure as she took a plate from Tohru. (that's my version of what happened. Mushy? Maybe, but its cute)

"She just saw him again for the first time in a few months. Uo didn't know he was a Sohma, so he just appeared here suddenly." Tohru joined the others at the table and began eating.

Shigure smirked slightly. "Ah, I see. That must have been quite a shock."

Tohru looked suprsied. "Do you not like Kureno-san Shigure?"

He laughed, but didn't answer, deciding to eat instead. Hana also began eating but Tohru looked worriedly in the direction of the living room. "Do you think Uo or Ayame are hungry?"

Shigure looked up and listened for a while. Finally he said, "I think Aya's calming her down a little. Either that or he's just talking."

Tohru nodded. "Alright, I'll go give them a plate." She made a plate up for both Ayame and Uo and then raced off into the living room.

"Or you can just invite them in here to eat with us!" Shigure called after her. But she didn't hear.

"Did you three find Yuki?" Hana asked Shigure who turned sharply to look at her.

"Yes we did, and were able to talk to him as well. Listen, when you talked to Yuki, you and Uotani I mean, did he say anything along the lines of that Tohru was dead?" Shigure asked thoughtfully, wiping crumbs off his face.

"Yes." Hana answered, eating another rice ball. Shigure sighed, "Oh dear."

"Whats wrong Gure?" Aya asked from the doorway where he was following Uo and Tohru back into the room. Shigure turned to address his friend. "It sounds like Yuki still believes that our dear Tohru is dead, despite what we've said."

"I can't believe he just left like that! And I used to think that he was polite and charming!" Uo commented, outraged.

Tohru looked up worriedly from where she was finishing eating, "Uo,"

"So what are you going to do?" Hana asked quietly. Shigure shook his head, "I'm not sure." And looked worried again.

There was a thoughtful silence in the room, disturbed only when Tohru began scrapping dishes into the garbage. Suddenly Aya exclaimed, "I know! I know what we'll do!"

"What is that Ayame?" Tohru asked turning. Aya grinned at her, "We'll send Haru after him," saying it as if it was the most ingenious idea in the world.

"That's an excellent idea Aya!" Shigure agreed thoughtfully. "Haru is after all the only Sohma with the best relationship with Yuki."

Aye beamed. "Thank you very much." Uo asked confusedly, "What does Haru have to do with this?"

"I'll go get him." Shigure told the others, then made a hasty retreat from the house.

"Should we leave?" Hana asked, understanding that this dealt with Sohma family secrets unknown to her and Uo, although she would make them tell her one day.

Tohru shook her head. "No Hana, you and Uo don't have to leave! I'm sure Hari wouldn't mind if you stayed late."

"Quite right!" Ayame agreed, wrapping an arm carefully around Tohru's shoulders. "We shall all enjoy your company."

"Alright then!" Uo exclaimed, now fully cheered up. "Sleepover here we go!"

Smiling at her friends behavior Tohru said, "That sounds like fun."

"Let's just hope Haru can bring the old Yuki back to us." Aya commented, slightly more serious then usual.

* * *

Okay everyone, Hello again! And welcome back! Once again, I am very sorry I didnt mean for it to take so long! But please continue reading and reviewing, I love all of you! Also im sry for any errors in this chapter, but my hands are very cold, even though its spring, and i dont type well when my hands are cold. Sry. 

I will also try and update my other fics this weekend. Please check my profile for further news. Oh, one thing. I am writing more with _Brotherly Bonds_ I have most of the next chapter written, but not quite. I hope you like it when I do update it. As my friend (sort of) Yanikei told me, 'Plot? What plot?' and isnt that too true.

To my wonderful reviewers:

cocoke: Im sry, i didnt mean to hurt you! Im glad you like it though and like i said, i will write more. Promise. And yes, eventually Yuki will go and see Tohru, but i wont tell you exaclty what I have planned. ;)

eda: Good! and i will, try that is. JK! Youll get to see soon, youll just have to be a little more patient...

Tuki: Lucky you, and me! Yes they did and its always good to see Aya happy. Him unhappy vry scary.

catgirl: Im sry! I am trying to.. do both that is!

Pocky: Yeah, im sry. But im glad ur excited. And the site is it has up to volume 18 i think.

aya: eh? padded room? Im glad you liked it, i like the word uber. But youll just have to wait a little to see. But I promise it wont be too long... hopefully. Yes, ill try to update. Im glad ur okay, and yes my ego is wonderful. Every snake is egotistical, supposedly. (see chaos levels for further info). and yes, i do like ur fics.and ur making me blush!

kirchen: oooooooo bad! BAD! He will realize, eventualy. Just be an eensy weense bit patient. Itll take a few more chapters, but youll love the big suprise! ;)

* * *

Alright everyone, thats it for now. But I will be updating more this weekend, hopefully. And jsut for a little gift, and to make sure you hang in there until next chapter, ill tell you whats coming up:

We start off with Yun-yun (i luv that nick name!) point of view and get to see Yuki and Haru's confrontation. Joy joy.

* * *

See y'all later!

-miji-chan


	8. Chapter 8

Ice Prince

Ch who knows what

Hello everyone! Wasn't this quick? Told ya so! Please read and review! I luv ya all!

* * *

(Yuki's (Yun-yun's) POV)

As I walked back along the street I thought disgustedly to myself, 'I've been back for almost two weeks and only now does everyone decide to start bothering me. Wonderful.' I rubbed my head vigorously, 'Why me.'

Angrily thrusting my key into the lock I slammed the door open so hard that it bounced off the wall and nearly squished me as I walked through. I nodded to Chris who was sitting on the couch watching the news as usual, then stomped my way up the stairs, slammed my bedroom door closed and flopped down onto my bed.

I sighed, 'Why? Why did they have to show up now, and keep talking about Miss Honda as if she were still alive?'

'Maybe she is. You didn't personally see her die that day did you?' My conscience sprang into being, annoyedly filling my mind with doubt.

'Shut up.' I snapped back. 'She did die, I saw her, I know.'

'No you don't. You only supposed she was dead.'

By now I felt like either crying or destroying something. 'Shut up! She's dead, okay? Dead!' I paused for a badly needed breath. 'Leave me alone.'

"Yuki?" Chris's soft, cautious voice broke through my thoughts and I looked up to see him standing in the doorway.

"Yeah?" My voice was harsh and I felt sorry for taking my anger out on him, it wasn't his fault.

"There's a guy downstairs at the door who says he's your cousin."

Haru shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as he waited for someone to answer the door after he had knocked and rang the doorbell several times. He snuck another glance at Shigure who was casually leaning against a wall on the other side of the street, out of view of the door.

Haru was grateful to his cousin, for telling him that Yuki was back and letting him see and talk with his favorite cousin. Of course Shigure had told him what to say for certain conversations, and specifically not to mention Tohru, at all.

While he was reflecting the door slowly opened and Haru found himself face to face with a man who looked only a few years older then himself.

"Hello." The other said, looking Haru over curiously. Haru didn't blame the man, he had given up his 'punk' jewelry and attitude, but still wore his favorite black leather outfits.

"Hi." Haru greeted the other cautiously. "Um, I was told Yuki Sohma was living here, could I talk to him?"

"Maybe. Why do you want to talk with Yuki?" The stranger asked, not realizing he had told Haru that Yuki was there.

"I'm a cousin of his and well, he's been missing for three years." Haru shrugged. "So I thought I would come by to talk to him." 'Please let me see him,' Haru silently begged, 'Please.'

The doorkeeper nodded. "Alright, wait here." Then he shut the door again and walked away.

While he was waiting Haru slowly turned around and gave Shigure a thumbs-up sign and mouthed, 'I got in.' He saw his cousin nod, stand up, straighten his clothes and walk inside the nearest store, a bookstore. (guess who's!)

Soon after the older man returned and opened the door wide enough for Haru to walk in. "Come in. He said he's talk to you, but I can't promise anything." The guy said as he shut the door. "I'm Chris by the way." Chris said, stretching out a hand.

Haru took it. "Hatsuharu, but you can call me Haru."

"Haru?" Asked another voice, sounding surprised from the somewhere in the room, nearby.

Haru looked around and finally rested his eyes on another man who was standing at the bottom of the stairway. "Yuki?" It could be Yuki, Haru thought, an older version with longer hair, but it could definitely be him.

Yuki's face stretched in a cold smile, not unlike Akito's old ones. "Its nice to see you again Haru. You look like your doing well."

"I am, and same to you Yuki." Haru responded, taking a second look at his cousin. It is him, Haru second checked himself, although he isn't the same. His eyes are colder, and that smile isn't at all genuine. He's acting like Akito used to.

Yuki was now lazily leaning against the wall next to the staircase. "So what do you want Haru? What are you here for?"

Haru shrugged uncomfortably, "To see you. After I heard you were back I decided to come and talk to you."

His grey-haired cousin sneered, "I'm sure." Then he looked slightly worried. "Who else knows that I'm back in japan?"

"Hatori, your brother, Shigure," Haru listed off, "Uotani, Hanajima and probably Akito."

Worry creased Yuki's face. "Darn it! I had hoped to keep quiet and stay low for a while. Why does Akito have to know!" Yuki groaned loudly and ran a hand through his hair, wincing slightly when his hand snagged. "No one in our family can keep a secret, instead they have to go stick their noses in everyone's business." He said angrily.

Haru shrugged. "That's the problem with being part of such a large and still close-knit family." He told Yuki, blaming his cousins misfortune on their family.

Yuki rolled his eyes. "That is a understatement." He paused and glared again at Haru. "So what, have you come to fetch me back? Are you everyone's messenger boy now?"

Haru tried to calm himself before Black Haru appeared. "I told you, I came to see you and how you were."

"Well you've come and we've talked," Yuki told his cousin irritably, "so now why don't you leave." He phrased as more of a demand then a suggestion.

"Because I don't want to." Haru was getting closer and closer to his snapping point. "I was worried about you Yuki, we all were."

Yuki rolled his eyes again, "That's nice, I bet you were." And with that, Haru snapped.

"Damn it, Yuki you don't realize how scared you made us? We were worried Yuki, and all you can say is 'that's nice'!"

"What am I supposed to say? All my family has ever done is push me away or forget about me. No one cares." Yuki sneered as he spoke.

"Well maybe if you gave them a chance, then they would treat you better." Haru pointed an accusing finger at his cousin. "You're the one who ran away Yuki. You."

Yuki glared at him. "Don't point that finger at me, you have no right to accuse me Hatsuharu."

Haru resisted the urge to yell and hit his ignorant cousin. Instead he glared and stomped his way over to the door. Before he slammed it shut behind him, Haru turned and said his last words. "This is all your fault Yuki. No one else did this, it was all you." Then he slammed it and stormed away.

Yuki, seething with fury, stomped back up the stairs and slammed his door shut behind him.

Chris, who had quickly moved out of Haru's way when he had stormed past, looked at the door for a long time, and then up the stairs where his friend had gone.

Haru walked down the street seething at the ignorance of his cousin. 'Just how stupid can he be?' He thought to himself, blindly following the crowd to where ever everyone else was going. There hadn't been anytime to talk to Shigure either before he had stormed off.

He stopped where he was, careful not to bump into anyone with his abrupt halt. 'Where was Shigure?' Haru asked himself worriedly. He had thought that his cousin would see his sudden departure and come after him, but that obviously wasn't the case. And now as Haru thought about it he realized he should have though this out more. Without Shigure's presence he was sure to get lost before he got to the Main House. Actually he might be most already.

"Haru you shouldn't leave like that. You might have, would have, gotten lost." Shigure said from beside his cousin and smiled when Haru spun around in surprise.

"Sensei. But I didn't think you had seen me leave." Haru said surprised but calm. (He was still half black half white.) Shigure smiled playfully. "I did see you and wanted to go after you, but the beautiful Mayu wouldn't let me out her sight." This wasn't exactly the truth, Mayu would probably have done anything to get rid of him. But Haru didn't need to know that.

Haru was meanwhile staring at him. "Mayu? As in my old high school teacher?"

Shigure nodded. "Mm hmm. But tell me, what did Yuki say, or do?" He leaned forward curiously.

He wasn't very glad to see me. Said I was, we were, bothering him and he didn't want to see anyone." Haru related to his cousin as they continued walking.

"What else?"

"Well. He got really upset when I told him that Akito knew he was back." Shigure nodded. "That's expected, Yuki's never really recovered from his time with Akito."

"But Tohru's helped, she's helped all of us." Haru amended thoughtfully, thinking of all the other zodiac members.

Shigure looked worried at Haru's comment. "Did you mention Tohru at all? Even once in your conversation?"

"No." Haru shook his head. "But Shigure, what happened to him. He's acting so different, almost like Akito does."

"Ask Hari when we get back, he'll be able to explain it to you. I don't really understand it." Was Shigure's answer and after that the rest of the walk to the Main House was quiet.

* * *

Hey again. Two days, aren't y'all proud of me? Sry if it was short, next chapter will be longer. Promise. Right after I write it. Heh heh. ;)

And for all of those impatient readers out there, no im not making fun of you, Yuki and Tohru will see each other again. I promise. Except Im not sure when, but it will happen. Trust me.

To my reviewers:

samgurl: Thanks. And isnt that a great word? Uber. sighs I promise to. Thnx again.

Tuki: Mm hmm. And yes I know, Im such a multitasker! strikes brilliant pose okay, im done. Yeah, exactly. And i hope this chapter was up to your standards.

cocoke: wow, such loyalty! I am honored! sry, im in weird mood today. Anyways... thnx for waiting and I thnx for the compliment! much appreciated. )

aya: thats kay, i understand. Im sry for making u wait! But it wasnt too long right? Hope next time isnt, I dont like when people cry. PLEASE DONT CRY! yes uber is cool, and thats kinda weird, but w/e. uo oh. NO BLUSHING NO BLUSHING! did i mention im in weird mood? yeah, blame that. Anyway im glad you 'loved it to death' and I promise to, dont worry... too much.

* * *

Alright, thats it for now. Next chapter might take awhile (IM SORRY!) cause I still need to write it and im not quite sure how, but i promise to get it up as soon as I can. Thanks again.

-miji-chan


	9. Chapter 9

Ice Prince

Ch 9

Hey everyone, welcome back! Sry if this is too short, but i needed a chapter where Hari explained what happened... sorta. Please read and review!

* * *

Shigure unlocked the door and opened it, shepherding Haru to walk in front of, then closed it behind him. They made their way down the hallway and into the living room where everyone was gathered.

The others looked up as Shigure and Haru walked in and sat down in the only empty couch silently.

No one said anything, glancing at each other, instead, until Aya asked quietly, "So? What happened?"

Shigure and Haru looked at each other. Finally Haru sighed and said, "We went to where Uo and Hana saw him before and found his apartment. It wasn't very far from there. I walked to the door while Shigure stayed outside to keep watch. A guy answered the door, his name was Chris and he was supposedly Yuki's friend from America. As for my talk with Yuki, it went horrible." He paused here, uncertain whether or not he should continue.

Hana understood and suggested, "Tohru dear, why don't we go have a little dinner snack and then go to bed. You must me tired." Tohru nodded and let Hana lead her out of the room.

"Continue Haru." Hatori orders and Haru nodded then did so.

"Alright. Well first of all, he didn't act like the Yuki we knew. He kept sneering and smiling coldly at me, sort of like how Akito does. Then when I told him who knew that he had returned, Yuki got very upset when I mentioned Akito."

"Well that's understandable, considering their history together." Hatori commented, leaning against the back of the couch. Ayame's smiled disappeared and looked away guiltily.

"What do you mean?" Uo interrupted loudly, causing them to turn and look at her. "You keep saying that, but don't explain what you mean by it."

The trio, plus Haru, looked at each other undecidedly. "Well," Shigure slowly drew out the word.

"Yuki and Akito were playmates from a young age, after Aya and Yuki's parents sold him to the head. They were fine for a while, until Akito became mentally unstable. Afterwards Akito started," Haru stopped talking and glanced over at Ayame who had his hands over his ears and was staring intently at the floor. He swallowed and finished, "mentally and physically torturing Yuki."

Uo stared at them, "Are you serious about that?" When none of the others responded she added, "That's horrible. This head of your sounds absolutely wretched."

No one responded to her comment, none of them wanted to acknowledge that Uo had insulted their precious Akito.

"Anyway," Haru said. "After that Yuki insulted our family a few times, something about sticking our noses into everyone else's business. Then he called me everyone's messenger boy, and said he didn't care that we had been worried about him. He was acting like such a snob."

"And after that?" Shigure asked, trying to get Haru to continue his commentary.

"Ah, right." Haru agreed. "Well then we started yelling at each other, him blaming me for his misfortune and me telling him it was his own fault. I got so annoyed at him that I stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind me." He shrugged. "And that's it."

"So you didn't mention Tohru at all?" Hatori asked curiously, looking at Haru with his single good eye.

Haru shook his head. "I already asked him that Hari, and he said he definitely didn't." Shigure inputed, and Hatori nodded.

"Why do you have to make sure that you don't mention Tohru?" Uo asked interestedly.

Hatori looked over sideways at her. "This topic is slightly complicated. Being a doctor myself I only slightly understand it myself." He sighed and ruffled his hair.

"So tell us as much as you understand then." Uo said impatiently, waving a hand at him.

"Very well then." Hatori leaned backward against the back of the couch and clasped his hands together. "As I understand, it is a certain kind of amnesia that centers around an event that is especially harmful, most of them emotionally, to the person. In Yuki's case, the event was Tohru's death." He began to continue when Uo interrupted him.

"But Tohru's _not dead_!" She protested angrily.

"Yes, _we know_ that she isn't, but to Yuki she _is_. In his mind he came to the conclusion that she _did_ die that day." Hatori sighed and looked worriedly at the floor. "Tohru was in his company and acquaintance for only two or so years. That is certainly not enough time for her to help to recover fully from the horrors of his past. And because of this problem, when Yuki supposedly saw Tohru die his mind forced him to forget anything that had to do with Tohru, and by doing that he completely forgot that Tohru existence. That's why he now acts as he would have if Yuki had never met Tohru." Sad silence met his speech, until Haru spoke a question, "How do we help him remember?"

"Keep telling him Tohru's alive, I suppose." Shigure commented solemnly and everyone else nodded in agreement with him.

Hatori however shook his head instead. "No, that won't help, it will just anger Yuki."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Uo asked annoyed.

"The only thing that will make him remember, is if Tohru does something that proves she is alive. That is the only thing that will trigger his memories back." Hatori answered, shooting slightly reproving glares at his cousins.

Shigure sighed, "So we have to put all our trust in Tohru then, you mean."

"Yes."

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard. Tohru dear has done so much for us already." Aya said happily, once again back to his regular, cheerful self.

There was a knock on the door and Hana stuck her head in, one of her arms wrapped protectively around Tohru. "We're going to go to bed."

Tohru smiled at them, "So we've just come to say good night."

Ayame smiled, "Goodnight sweet Tohru, and you as well Hana." "We'll see you in the morning dear ones." Shigure added.

"Good night Tohru, Hana." Hatori said nodding slightly.

"Night." Haru said softly, finishing the rounds.

Tohru smiled again. "Goodnight everyone! We'll see you in the morning." Hana nodded. "Will you come up soon Arisa?"

Uo nodded. "Yep I promise." Tohru laughed, "Alright then. See you!" She waved and then Hana and her walked out, shutting the door.

Once they were gone Uo turned towards the others, mainly Hatori, and asked quietly, "She has no idea, does she? About Yuki, or what happened to him?"

The rest shook their heads in agreement with what she had said. "No, and I think we should keep it that way. Tohru should be spared from that pain, they don't need to meet until both of them are ready." Hatori commented.

"Poor, sweet Tohru." Shigure said softly.

Ayame nodded his head and wrapped his arms around Shigure, "Yes, our poor dear Tohru-chan."

* * *

Wasnt that sooooooooooo good? Jk. Anyways, in a few chapters i promise some YukixTohru action. It wont be very much, but i hope itll keep you happy. ;)

Um, yeah. For more info on the progress of my fics, please check my profile... theres a link to my homepage where i put some stuff. And i hope to have my manga sketches up soon as well!

To my reviewers:

Myou: thanks. and i hope not too keep you waiting for very long. Actually they don't know about each other, and sry if hes scary, i didnt mean him to be. /. Thanks again.

cocoke: im glad to hear it. ;) and im glad you like it. Yes, please reading! I luv ya for it!

catgirl: I will, and sry about that.

catgirl: uh huh. And like i said, you will, soon.

Tuki: glad to hear it! Yeah, he does, well it was sorta supposed to turn out that way. Yay! cookies!

aya-heart: actually im not really a phsycic, but thanks... im glad! Good, i washoping no one would have to wait, and i promise to add more soon. Good, don't cry. Oh well, me too! Thank you: I will!

* * *

Thanks again for reading and please review! I hope to have the next chapt up soon! 

see ya!

-miji-chan


	10. Chapter 10

Ice Prince

Ch 9

Hello everyone! I'm really sorry I took so long to update this story, but I recently had a sudden inspiration...for this chapter at least.

I also need to say that this is the UNEDITED VERSION of this chapter. Yanikei has been very busy lately, and, since I don't want to make her life even harder, I have decided to post this as a place holder until there is an edited version. So please bear with me.

Enjoy this chapter... and please remember to review!

* * *

The next morning Tohru woke up earlier than the others in the house and, after getting dressed, she silently snuck out to the secret garden where she and Momiji went sometimes to talk or spend time together.

It was too early for the teenage rabbit to be at the garden, or perhaps to even be awake, so Tohru sat alone on a rock near the koi pond, thinking.

Earlier when Uo and Hana had told her that they had seen Yuki walking around the city, the girls first thought was that they were playing a prank on her… except for the fact that her two best friends would never do that to her. And so, Tohru believed Yuki was really back in Japan, and even back in Tokyo.

After she had come to that realization, the girl found she could barely contain the excitement at the thought of seeing the grey haired boy again. She had missed him greatly, he was always in her mind these past years, and Tohru had never given up wishing and hoping for his return. The entire time he had been missing, she had believed in her heart that one day Yuki would come back to them.

And now, her wishes had come true.

Finally.

But neither Shigure, Hatori, Aya nor Haru, who she was sure had gone to find Yuki, had told her, or even hinted, if they _had_ actually seen him. Instead the entire Sohma jyuunichi, plus Uo and Hana, had holed themselves up in the living room to discuss something that supposedly did not include her.

The girl sighed; everyone was being so secretive around here, especially about Yuki. It felt as if they were leaving her out of everything, probably because they still thought she was too fragile, even though it had already been three years. They didn't understand that she wasn't too fragile; she was ready to help with this, especially anything concerning Yuki. She no longer needed to be shielded from the real world; Tohru was able to manage perfectly on her own.

Making a decision, Tohru rose to her feet and quickly walked over towards Hatori's house, hoping to receive some insight about what was happening with the Sohma family.

* * *

Uotani was the first of Tohru's overnight guests to wake up, groggily laying on the bed before slowly sitting up in the bed, and rubbing her eyes.

A few seconds later she noticed her friend standing patiently at the end of the bed, smiling down at them.

"Tohru! Why're you awake girl?"

The brown haired girl smiled and shrugged lightly, "I just woke up early, I couldn't sleep in."

Beside the blond, Hana shifted under the covers before abruptly opening her eyes and moving into a sitting position. "Your waves are anxious, and edgy."

Tohru smiled at them, "yes, I want to ask you guys some questions," Her eyes shifted off to the side, "about what's happening around here, with…"

Her two friends shared worried glances, how much could they tell Tohru of what the Sohmas had found out about Yuki, especially what he had said to them.

"Sorry Tohru, no one's found much. Just saw 'em out on the street again near here I guess. I don' think they were with him much, jus' for a few words."

The brown haired girls' eyes widened considerably as she heard her friends words. "Someone, someone _talked_? They _talked_ to him!"

Uo and Hana shared looks again, and then slowly moved towards Tohru.

"Not much, Tohru."

"They did not talk for very long, Yuki was very quiet and distant with them. He refused to say very much, only a few unimportant things."

Tohru blinked sadly at them, her eyes welling with tears. "But they talked to him! He's really, really alive! He's here, and he's alive! He spoke, he knew where we were! He returned to Japan! He came home, came back to us!"

Her friends smiled gently, and Uo slid off the bed, walking up to the smaller girl and wrapping her strong arms around the thin body. "It's gonna be okay Tohru, we'll get 'em back. We'll find 'em and bring 'em here."

Neither of them found it necessary to tell her that Haru had already found where the grey-haired teen lived, and had spoken to him there. At least now they knew where to find him, at least most of the time.

"But he's alive, he's really back in Japan and alive."

Hana nodded, "yes Tohru, he is." But then, she opened and closed her mouth once before commenting softly, "but Tohru, why won't you say his name?"

The brown haired girl stared at them before blinking as tears welled in her eyes again. "I-I don't know. I just-"she broke off to roughly wipe the tears away with her pajama sleeve. "It feels, it feels like," she sniffed softly; "it feels like a jinx, if I say his name, I'll, I'll jinx the chance of him ever returning to us. Of our lives having a chance to be like they once were, like three years ago."

"Can only hope Tohru, there's not much we can do 'bout it." Uo replied, trying to lift her friend's spirits slightly, but instead Tohru frowned and sighed softly.

For awhile silence reigned between the friends, a thoughtful and uncomfortable silence.

"I want to see him again, for myself." The brown-haired girl suddenly declared and turned towards the door.

But a gentle hand placed on her shoulder slowed the headstrong teen. "Please Tohru, you should wait. This is all very sudden. You should stop and think before you see him."

Tohru's expression saddened, "why?"

Her two friends exchanged looks again, still leaving Tohru in the dark about what was currently happening with the Sohmas.

Annoyed and saddened at the same times, the brown-haired teen turned back towards the door, this time walking determinedly to, and out of the door, ignoring the words her friends called to her receding back.

* * *

A shadow walked cautiously through the forest, their long hair pulled back into a messy low ponytail, wearing a thin jacket that caused them to seem more scraggly then they really were.

The shadow seemed to flit in-between the trees, striding confidently yet slowly down the path, an effect more suited to someone wearing a trench coat, or hat, although the tall boots were present.

Whoever it was stayed mostly in the darkness of the forest at first, but, as their surroundings became more and more familiar, the person began straying into the lighter areas of the path. They started glancing around curiously, observing the many changes that had occurred while somehow feeling a slight déjà vu at returning to the place that had once been his home.

But now, it was just a place full of haunting memories, ones that he would rather forget- those were the reasons why he had fled to America, years ago.

The gray-haired man shook his head, loosening most of the gray strands from the elastic hair band. He didn't know why he had come back to Japan, or why he had even considered returning.

He hated this place; he had always hated his home, hated his family, but he specifically strongly hated the head of their family, the man who had put him through so much in his short life. If he ever saw that man again, the teen didn't know how he would react. What he would do.

This morning he had woken up with no intention of leaving the house, or going outside of his bedroom. He had lain in bed most of the morning, had listened to Chris leave early, making more noise than seemed humanly possible, and then had stayed there alone, enjoying the silence.

Time had passed for several hours as he stared into the peace, unmoving, surrounded by complete and utter silence. He had done nothing but stare into the distance and reflect, thinking about everything.

And then, in the middle of all those thoughts and reflections, the man had had a sudden urge to return to the place where he had lived for many years after his cousin rescued him from, that, that monster. Where, even though everyday he had to deal with his annoying cousins, he had still had a life, one that he could call his own. For those few years he had almost enjoyed that life, and would have described it as near 'happiness.' He had actually been 'happy,' for once in his life.

So, almost as if he were in a detached state of mind, the man rose from his bed, dressed, and left the house.

After that he had walked down the streets, moving only forward, not watching where he was going. The teen knew if any of his cousins were there, or nearby, he would have to hide. By now most of the Sohma family had to know of his return, but he didn't want anyone who didn't to learn.

That brought him to where he was now, walking through the forest outside of the city, the forest surrounding his cousins house. A forest where he had often found solitude, and also where he had once found peace.

The grey-haired teen slowed slightly as he neared the house, taking time to be careful on the steep path of dirt and rocks leading to the house. He stayed discreetly to the side, trying to blend into the background while at the same time cautiously watching the house, making sure that no one saw him.

Just seeing the building was forcing a lot of emotions onto him, keeping him rooted in place while struggling between the instinct of running down to the house and exploring it, or running back to his new house and never coming back- even returning to America.

But he was stronger than that now. He wasn't running anymore. He wouldn't run.

And so, the teen crept up to the house, his eyes scanning the landscape for other people, while his mind wandered through his memories that had occurred here.

He shook his head, trying to focus his mind. It worried him that there was no noise coming from within the house; there should at least have been Shigure being his usual noisy, perverted self, or Kyo yelling at something, anything, as usual, but the house was completely silent. Only the sound of nature surrounded him, the natural sounds of the forest.

The man stopped next to the side of the building, gazing carefully at it while a confused expression flickered on his face, an emotion that soon vanished.

No one had been here in awhile; the entire structure was quickly deteriorating while the sliding doors had been permanently broken and the paper ripped a long time ago. The grass surrounding the house had long overgrown, past any taming point, and was now even taller than knee height.

It seemed like his cousins had abandoned this house ages ago, and because of that it had fallen into disrepair. It was obvious no one had returned to take care of the building, after he…had disappeared. They must have moved to another place, and made another building into their home.

He shrugged carelessly, fine then, who cared. So what if they moved away? So what if they had cut all ties with him, he would do the same then. If they didn't care about him, then he didn't care about them. He never had, and never would. Who cared about them, or anything, or anyone.

It had been a mistake for him to return to Japan. He should never have considered returning, or even leaving America. But somehow Chris had convinced him to come to Japan with his friend; Chris had helped him forget what the teen had left behind, and the consequences that would come for returning.

And it was only now he realized what he had done.

The man moved into a standing position before sighing and walking back into the forest, putting his hands in his pockets as he moved.

There was one last place he had to visit before he would ever be able to cut ties with this place, to walk away and never return, once and for all.

A place where he had always found solitude, a place that had symbolized comfort to him, a place that he had only ever told one person about, a person he had cared about, a person who was now gone. Left. Gone, forever.

His head rose abruptly at that random thought. Who was he talking about; there had never been a person like that. He had never told _anyone_ about his secret place, no one knew anything about it, or even that such a place existed.

And it would stay that way. No one would ever know about it. He wouldn't and couldn't let anyone find out.

A soft laugh escaped his lips, it didn't matter anymore anyway. There was no one left here, nothing here mattered. Not even his secret place was of any significance anymore; no doubt it was completely overgrown after all this time. It probably didn't even exist anymore.

But, even if it wasn't there, the man still wanted to see where it had been. And so, he continued on his way.

* * *

The brown haired girl cautiously made her way through the forest, brushing aside stray branches that blocked her way, while the bright brown eyes stayed set on her location, the place where she was going.

Every week, or at least once every week, Tohru would journey from the Sohma compound to the large house in the middle of the forest where she had lived with Kyo, Yuki and Shigure. It was a time for her to reminisce about those times, and worry over Yuki's disappearance, but more importantly it was a time for her to take care of the garden that the grey-haired teen had cared so much for.

Ever since Hatori had let her out of the house, the girl had come here to watch over and take care of the garden, doing everything she could to keep it growing.

And now in the fall, it was more beautiful than during the rest of the year, with the flowers still in bloom and the vegetables sprouting colorfully against the soil.

Sometimes, when she lost herself in memory she could picture Yuki kneeling on the other side of the garden. He would smile softly at her, or speak quietly as he worked. They would exchange quiet, harmless remarks, all the while enjoying each other's company.

The girl sighed and slowly kneeled beside the garden. Part of the reason why she continued to nurture it was because of her strong hope that Yuki would return, and, by seeing the perfect form of his garden, everything would return to normal again, as if he had never left.

She cautiously reached out and gently played with a flower petal. But what if all that hard work had been for nothing? What if all those hopes and wishes had never been heard? If that was true, then there had been no point. She had been naïve in thinking that a garden could accomplish such an impossible thing.

Tohru lowered her arm and slowly straightened, standing beside the garden while gazing down at the flowers. A few minutes later she drew herself out of the memories and leaned down to pick up the bucket she had brought with to walk towards the stream.

* * *

The gray-haired man strode out into the clearing, his breathing unsteady while his clothing was torn and stained. It had been awhile since he had strolled through a forest and it was not an experience he wanted to repeat soon.

A few steps past the line of trees, he looked around the clearing before slowly lowering his head to gaze at the ruin which had once been his beautiful garden.

But, it wasn't a ruin; it wasn't overgrown or abandoned at all.

The garden was still a neat, small colorful square amongst the green grass; bright flowers grew in groups near the vegetables, some sprouting while others remained hidden beneath the ground.

It was still here, it still existed.

Who had done this? Who had taken care of his garden?

Yes, a voice in his head sneered, _your_ garden, the one you cared so much about and then abandoned like it was nothing.

How had someone taken care of this place, when no one else knew that it even existed?

Doubtful, the man slowly walked over to the garden and knelt beside it, not noticing the slight imprint in the grass made by another person who had knelt in the same position.

He cautiously reached out and touched a finger very lightly to one of the flowers, reassuring himself that it was real. When the man realized that it was, he touched more of them, even running a finger over the stalks, to make sure that it wasn't a flaw.

He abruptly raised his arm and wiped his forehead on his sleeve. Who was he kidding? This garden didn't matter to him anymore; it was just a symbol of bad memories, and reasons why he had left Japan. He didn't care if this place was the ruin he had expected, or the perfectly maintained garden he found.

The man closed his eyes.

He didn't care.

* * *

Tohru slowly made her way back along the path, her forehead slightly damp with the effort of holding the now filled water bucket. She had to use two hands to carry it because of the weight but also due to her weak, still healing, body.

But the girl was never one to complain, and instead whistled softly to herself as she walked, enjoying the day.

She always enjoyed these frequent visits, it made her feel good to believe that she was taking care of a living thing, and was responsible for its _life_.

As she neared the garden, the girl glanced up and abruptly stopped at what she saw, the bucket dropping to the ground from her loose grip.

There was a young man kneeling beside the garden, in the exact place she had left just minutes earlier. He was wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt, but what was the most unusual was his hair color.

It was grey.

The girl took a single step closer, peering intensely at the figure, hoping it would help her to see him better.

A single word escaped her lips, one she hadn't said in many years.

"Yuki?"

* * *

A dull thud from nearby startled him out of his inner thoughts, and he glanced in the direction of the sound to watch in surprise as a wooden pail full of water seemed to fall, and hit, the ground in slow motion, and the liquid to slosh onto the grass.

But someone had to have been carrying the bucket in order for it to fall.

So slowly, and warily, the man raised his gaze to meet the eyes of….

"Miss Honda?"

The name was whispered aloud even though he hadn't meant to do so, and the words sounded foreign on his lips.

A few seconds later the woman, who was a stranger but at the same time wasn't, mouthed a word back to him. However, his mind was reeling from seeing her, and he was too busy to process anything.

She was dead, he had seen her die. She was dead.

It became a mantra in his confused mind as he slowly rose to his feet, still staring at the woman.

He stared for a few more deathly silent moments, until he abruptly turned and fled into the forest, fleeing the scene like a frightened animal.

She's_ dead_, I saw her _die_. _She's dead_.

* * *

There you are folks, we have finally made it to the fated meeting of the two seperated lovers... sorry, I think I've been reading Shakespeare too often lately.

But, yes- so Yuki and Tohru have finally seen each other after all these years... even if he doesn't fully remember her.

About Yuki's memory, when he left for America, and during his years in the United States he had no memory of Tohru. Because of this his personality changed into the person he would have been had he never met Tohru. However, since Yuki has returned to Japan, his memory has begun to come back in bits and pieces. Its mostly an unconscious thing, as you saw in this chapter. These memories usually come in dreams, or when people (namely his family so far) mention Tohru to him. But, now that he has seen her again, his memories will slowly begin to reveal themselves more.

Thanks for all of you who waited for this chapter, patiently or impatiently, I am still grateful for your interest and enthusiasm.

I... can't remember if I responded to those of you who reviewed last chapter... if I didn't I'm very sorry for not doing so...

Thanks to Myou Matsuro, Falling Demon, cocoke5, Tuki, pinkyapple3.0 and aya-heart-tooya for reviewing!

One last note... although the other new chapters that are already written for some of my stories have not yet been edited, I may still post them. I promise that they will be edited sooner or later, if not by Yanikei then by another trustworthy person. I don't trust myself enough to edit my own work. Same goes for this chapter.

I also tried to write a longer chapter this time, since this is very important to the story, so I hoped all of you enjoyed it.

Ja ne (hopefully)

mijichan


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